Contact details for the occupation
Their website
Phone Kitty Webster on 07532104575 to speak to the occupiers
Contact details for the university
The acting Vice Chancellor Professor Susan Price:
Email: s.price@uel.ac.uk
Tel: 020 822 34159
The Vice Chancellor’s group contact details can be found here
Occupation
Started - 18th February 2009
Ended - 3rd March 2009
Where - A lecture theatre
Why - In solidarity with the people of Gaza
Demands
Their demands issued 18th February 2009:
We the student occupation for Palestine demand that the University of East London:
1. Issues a clear statement condemning Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the recent atrocities committed against the civilians of Gaza.
2. Immediately divests itself of any and all interests and investments in companies directly or indirectly linked with arms sales to Israel and to make publicly available all UEL current and future investments.
3. Grants five Palestinian students every year full scholarships funded by UEL (similar to the Commonwealth scholarships)
4. Twins itself with the Islamic University of Gaza and provides support for the rebuilding effort following the recent destruction.
5. Provides any surplus equipment to Universities in Gaza i.e. books, computers etc.
6. Authorises, facilitates and promotes an official DEC collection day around campus.
7. Grants free access at all times to all participants in the occupation and takes no reprisals against any participants in the occupation for their actions. We will continue to occupy WB.G.02 until all of our demands are met.
Success
In brief they won:
- 6 fully paid scholarships for people from conflict areas. 3 for Palestinian students.
- Academic supplies sent to the University of Gaza.
- DEC collection day -19th of March and promotion and endorsement or it.
- No reprisals for occupiers and free access to occupation while it was ongoing
- Statement of condemnation of Israel’s actions
- Disclosure that they have not invested in any Israeli companies.
- Intention to take up an ethical investment programme.
- Individual schools encouraged to collaborate with the University of Gaza.
Further details of what they won:
1. The Vice Chancellor issued the following statement which will be printed in all of UELs publications to promote the DEC collection day:
1. UEL strongly supports the statement issued by Universities UK on behalf of its member institutions, calling for an end to the conflict in and beyond Gaza. We are particularly aware that many of the civilian casualties have occurred in educational establishments. Higher education is a force for understanding, tolerance and mutual respect across the world. Civilian casualties in higher educational institutions strike at the heart of the values which higher education does so much to promote, including the right to education as enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2. UEL holds not investments in Israeli Companies, instead it has only cash deposits in banks. The Finance Committee welcomes the proposal of an ‘ethical investment’ policy and shall consider such a proposal at it’s next meeting in 2 weeks time.
3. UEL is to set up a humanitarian scholarship scheme for students in areas affected by conflict throughout the world, which results in their human right to education being denied to them. This would comprise the funding of scholarships, including payment of programme fees and of residential fees, for six students on a yearly basis, commencing next academic year. In the first year of operation, three of these scholarships will be exclusively offered to students in Gaza.
4. All individual schools within UEL are encouraged to develop academic collaboration with individual schools within the Islamic University of Gaza. We shall be supporting schools here and providing them with the necessary information on how to go about such partnerships.
5. Surplus equipment from UEL shall be sent to the Islamic University of Gaza when there is appropriate equipment available.
6. UEL shall be holding an official DEC collection day on the 19th March - to be fully promoted, endorsed, and facilitated by the University.The DEC appeal shall be screened in a lecture theatre throughout the day.
7. Free access was granted to the student occupiers, and we can confirm that no reprisals have been taken against any students involved.
Negotiation
5th March 2009
The occupiers post up details of their acheivemnets - see above for details.
3rd March 2009
All their demands are met and the occupiers clear out the occupied room. The asked for 5 scholarships and gained 6. All include residential and tuition fees - and totally funded by the University. In the first year 3 are guaranteed for students from the Islamic University in Gaza, and this will of course be followed up depending on the success for the following years. The remaining three are for students from conflict zones all around the world.
25th February 2009
8am - occupiers woken by fire alarm but refuse to leave the building until Alan Ingle promises they can return to the occupied space after the drill.
24th February 2009
The occupiers met with the VC and a number of the Deans of Schools in the morning but failed to acheive any concrete successes. THe occupiers are told that their demands will not be decided upon until next Tuesday by the board of governors/
19th February 2009
In negotiations 4 out of their 7 demands are met. They also receive an invitation from the VC to attend a meeting of the Vice-Chancellors Group on Tuesday morning to explain their demands to them.
The occupiers move to another room in the East Building. This they feel allows to be more visible to UEL students. The new room is underneath the vice chancellor’s office. As it is not a lecture theatre they will not be disturbing any lectures.
The University administration invite 3 representatives from the occupation to attend a meeting with Alan Ingle and Susan Price and discussions started on their demands. The occupiers hold out for written authorization of every single demand but also feel they have made ’significant progress’.
The 20 occupiers who stayed the night are woken by a police visit at 8am. They are accompanied by Alan Ingle.
18th February 2009
The occupiers issue their demands.
Within hours of the occupation UCU passes a resolution congratulating the students at UEL for occupying a lecture theatre over the situation in Gaza.
After the event organised by Stop the War society UEL students to occupy a lecture theatre. They start to draft a list of demands.
Support/Events
2nd March 2009
Many activites during the day including speakers
27th February 2009
Talk from Naomi Idrissi Wimborne from Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods. They also showed a film from Reel News and some films about the January demos against the Israeli attack on Gaza, fellow students in occupation and the Black Panthers. Afterwards they had a chance to speak to the directors,
Some of the occupiers gave out leaflets at Friday prayers in the Mosque.
26th February 2009
Speakers - Phil Marfleet (Uel lecturer) and Anan AL-Quds (Action Palestine) spoke on the issue of the Palestinian refugees. Ken Olende and Jeansy Kazadi (UEL Congolese Society) spoke on the war in Congo.
The UEL Samba band entertained in the evening.
25th February 2009
Film viewing of ‘not in our name’ directed by Phill Maxwell. Where we had a question and answers session with the director.
The occupiers get a message of support from Betty Hunter from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
24th February 2009
5pm meeting - speakers from Jews for Justice for Palestinians and Islington’s Friendship with Palestine.
23rd February 2009
5pm meeting - turnout of 50. Number of speakers that included John Rees (Stop the War officer), Dr Geremy Gilbert (UEL Lecture).
22nd February 2009
The occupation gets visits from students from other occupations as well as other support such as food donations.
They get a letter of support from The Islamic University of Gaza
21th February 2009
The occupiers post up about the other support they’ve been getting.
The occupiers receive a message of support from Noam Chomsky.
20th February 2009
The occupiers receive a message of support from the Friends of CAIS Maloka and ISBO Collective.
The occupiers request email support.
19th February 2009
The occupiers had a talk from a representative from the Human Relief Foundation speaking on the dire situation of the Palestinians
Nearly 1100 students have signed the petition.
500 UEL students sign their petition.
The occupiers receive a letter of support from the UCU Docklands Branch
Meeting at 5.pm - guest speaker John Rose and film maker Phil Maxwell.
students from the Sussex and Queen Mary Occupations, and a guest speaker from Stop the War Coalition.
18th February 2009
The occupiers issue an agenda for the following day. They received many messages of support during the day. They ask for support - either joining the occupation, handing out leaflets or getting signatures on their petition.
Event organised by Stop the War society - guest speakers Lindsey German (Convenor, Stop The War Coalition) and Professor Haim Bresheeth (Chair, Media & Cultural Studies, UEL).
